Sports

Tim McCarver to step down from Fox after season

FILE - In this July 21, 2012, file photo, Tim McCarver greets the crowd before accepting the Ford C. Frick Award for excellence in baseball broadcasting as part of the Baseball Hall of Fame Induction ceremonies at Doubleday Field in Cooperstown, N.Y. McCarver says he will step down from his position at Fox after this season. (AP Photo/Heather Ainsworth, File)Show Caption

NEW YORK (AP) - Baseball analyst Tim McCarver said Wednesday he will retire from his position at Fox after this season.

"I wanted to step down while I know I can still do the job and proud of the job I've done," he said during a conference call.

The 71-year-old said he had been thinking about moving on for a couple of years. Fox executives visited him at his home in Florida this winter to discuss extending his contract, which expired after the 2013 season, and McCarver already had made up his mind.

The former All-Star catcher has worked 28 consecutive Major League Baseball postseasons on network television dating to 1984, providing analysis for a record 23 World Series.

In 21 big league seasons, McCarver hit .271 with 97 homers and 645 RBIs. He won the World Series in 1964 and 1967 with the St. Louis Cardinals.

McCarver got his start in broadcasting in 1980 with the Philadelphia Phillies and NBC's game of the week. He has also called local games for the New York Mets and Yankees and the San Francisco Giants.

McCarver later worked for ABC and CBS before joining Fox in 1996.

Last year, he was honored by baseball's Hall of Fame with the Ford C. Frick Award for major contributions to baseball broadcasting.